Pages

Monday, June 16, 2008

On pizza by way of empowerment

I made the same thing for dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Made, not ate. I made the same thing two days in a row.

What you've got to understand is that I never do this. I like leftovers to a degree. I can handle one more lunch from last night's dinner. Sometimes I even take leftovers and make something new out of them, but by day two I'm bored and frequently (I'm ashamed to admit) I toss the last serving of whatever culinary creation is lurking in the fridge after 3 days. But there are so many things out there I want to try that I almost never make the same thing twice in a month, let alone twice in two days.

Empowered by Deb's series of tips and 'don't be scared' advice and inspired by Luisa's pizza post, I set about making pizza dough on Saturday. I used the no-knead recipe from Steamy Kitchen. I can't for the life of me figure out how I got to it, but it turned out beautifully and it was (all together now) SO EASY. I halved the dough recipe, since I was at Adam's and he wouldn't have time to make more pizza all week, and we made one traditional pizza (tomato sauce, basil, fresh mozzarella, olives) and one "flatbread" which is a snooty way to say non-traditional pizza: olive oil, arugula (actually a "tangy" spinach blend of spinach, arugula and radicchio, since they didn't have straight arugula at the store), toasted walnuts and goat cheese with balsamic vinegar. Both were delicious and the tomato based pizza was amazing right out of the oven. The olives gave it a nice salty kick, but it was better hot than cold as breakfast the next day. The goat cheese number was delicious out of the oven and the balsamic vinegar really makes it stand out. Maybe it's just a combo I adore, but I liked it cold for breakfast just was much as hot for dinner.

Sunday I made up another half-batch (at home this time - that's why the pics are dark) of dough in the morning and had another go at both pies before the (disappointing but not yet soul-crushing) Celtics loss. No olives this time (my roommates aren't olive fans) but I used straight arugula on the goat cheese pizza and added dried cranberries. Wow. The cranberries got sort of crispy sticky (my dentist would not approve) but they rounded out the toppings nicely. I also let the dough rest longer at room temp before I stretched it out during round two, and it realy does make a difference.

Here's the kicker: I can't wait to make this again. I've got some leftover tomato sauce and mozz and I'm already excited to see what I can find in the cupboards to put on a flat round of dough. I'll keep you posted.

No-Knead Pizza Doughadapted from the Steamy KitchenThis is the recipe I used, I sort of eyeballed the 3/4 tablespoons but I was trying not to be scared. I used a big bowl and loosely covered it with plastic wrap when called to. I would make it more air-tight in the fridge, but that's just me.Makes 4 1lb loaves. (or two twelve-inch round pizzas if you cut it in half!)2 3/4 cups lukewarm water1 1/2 tbl active dry1 1/2 tbl salt1 tbl sugar1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour1. Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a large wooden spoon.3. Cover loosely and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. (If it's cool in your house it might take a bit of time for the dough to double, but if you plan to use it the next day, don't fret, it just gets better with time in the fridge.) You can use the dough at this point, or refrigerate and use over next 12 days. If you refrigerate at least overnight, you’ll develop better flavor in the dough.

Basic Pizza1/4 of the dough recipe above (or half, if you halved it - you get the idea)your favorite tomato sauce (I just open a can of good quality diced tomatoes and heat it up on the stove with half a peeled onion- not chopped, just simmering with the tomatoes. Sometimes a little lemon zest at the end, and don't forget the salt and pepper. A 14 ounce can was enough for one pizza.)1 ball of fresh mozzarella, shredded or thinly sliced (if you use water-packed, be sure to blot it as dry as you can)fresh basil leavespitted black olives (optional)

1. Take your dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to start, because it needs to come to room temperature to stretch out.2. Preheat the oven to 450 or thereabouts and make sure your pizza pan (or pizza stone or inverted cookie sheet) is in there, preheating with the oven.3. Take your ball of dough, pat it flat and stretch it out with your fingertips and maybe toss it around on your knuckles for a minute. You want it thin, but not so thin it breaks in the middle. You're going for maybe a 12 inch round. Pay attention to how the light is coming through the middle and put it down if you think it's getting too thin. I start it on parchment paper so I can slide it more easily onto my pan with less risk of burning.4. If you're working on parchment, build the pizza on top of a (second) inverted cookie sheet so you can slide it onto the pan in the oven. If not, take the pre-heated pan out of the oven, put the stretched out dough and top and assemble.5. Start with a thin layer of sauce (thin so you don't drown your pizza), scatter the torn basil leaves and then layer on the mozzarella. It's ok to go sparingly. Scatter the olives if you're using them (do try them, please!)6. Stick it back in the oven for 12-16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (especially if your oven heats unevenly, as mine does).7. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before you slice it, so the cheese can set up - this is especially important if you have a bit of a puddle in the middle from too much cheese... which I did the first time around.

1. Take your dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to start, because it needs to come to room temperature to stretch out.2. Preheat the oven to 450 or thereabouts and make sure your pizza pan (or pizza stone or inverted cookie sheet) is in there, preheating with the oven.3. Take your ball of dough, pat it flat and stretch it out with your fingertips and maybe toss it around on your knuckles for a minute. You want it thin, but not so thin it breaks in the middle. You're going for maybe a 12 inch round. Pay attention to how the light is coming through the middle and put it down if you think it's getting too thin. I start it on parchment paper so I can slide it more easily onto my pan with less risk of burning.4. If you're working on parchment, build the pizza on top of a (second) inverted cookie sheet so you can slide it onto the pan in the oven. If not, take the pre-heated pan out of the oven, put the stretched out dough and top and assemble.5. Brush the dough with a layer of olive oil (about a tablespoon, I think) then a layer of arugula. Next come the toasted walnuts, (break them up if they're big) then crumble on the goat cheese (it helps to slice it up a bit first if you've purchased a small log instead of pre-crumbled) and if you like, the dried cranberries. You could add another light drizzle of oil, or a scattering of freshly ground black pepper here.6. Stick it back in the oven for 12-16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (especially if your oven heats unevenly, as mine does).7. Let it sit for a minute, then drizzle with a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar. Don't skip this part, it really ties it all together!